EU nations implement four new sanctions against Russia.

On Tuesday, the EU implemented four rounds of sanctions against Russia due to the Ukraine conflict, comprising a 17th package aimed at Moscow’s shadow fleet, alongside actions concerning chemical weapons, human rights, and hybrid threats, according to the European Commission.

The EU and its Western partners have been steadily intensifying their efforts against Russia’s hidden fleet of tankers and associated entities that are attempting to bypass the Group of Seven (G7) price limit on Russian oil established since late 2022.

The limit was set to permit Russian oil to be exported to third nations utilizing Western insurance services as long as the price did not exceed $60 per barrel. Nonetheless, the enforcement has begun to take effect, and the EU will advocate for a reduced price limit this week at a gathering of G7 finance ministers in Canada. Oil and gas exports represent a significant revenue source for Russia, funding its conflict in Ukraine.

The four new packages of measures will impact more than 130 organizations and persons. In the 17th package, the EU will add 75 new entities to its list, which includes the significant Russian oil company Surgutneftegaz, a shipping insurance firm, and four shadow fleet management companies operating in the UAE, Turkey, and Hong Kong, according to EU sources.

EU diplomats briefly considered implementing sanctions on Litasco’s Dubai branch, the trading division of Russia’s second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, but it was removed from the list due to Hungarian resistance and a lack of strong legal justification, according to EU sources. Nonetheless, they did include Litasco’s Dubai shipping division Eiger Shipping DMCC.

An additional 189 ships, including 183 oil tankers, have been included on the list, bringing the overall total of listed vessels to 324.

In the most recent round, the flags featured included nations from Africa like Sierra Leone, Gabon, and Comoros, along with Caribbean and Pacific islands, India, Azerbaijan, and the landlocked European country of San Marino, the sources reported. The package further strengthens regulations concerning the sale of dual-use items, which are goods or technologies that could be utilized by Russia’s military, and identifies entities that back Russia’s military industrial complex in China, Belarus, and Israel.